Many of you will know that all outdoor activities as part of the Whiteadder project have paused as a result of social distancing and lockdown measures now implemented to try to slow the spread of COVID-19. We did excavate the possible cairn site on the shore of Whiteadder Reservoir with a much reduced team last … Read More
The archaeology team have been lucky to have some good weather this week for the dig in the Bothwell Water valley. More info to follow …
A local band, Barnstorm have responded to the Whiteadder project with their piece ‘Our Scotland’. They originally started as a duet some years ago, has developed into the current line-up of:Carol Dubber: vocals / guitar / mandolin / songwriterChris Dubber: vocals / percussionAlan Bradd: vocals / guitar / banjoKenny Tait: Bass / keyboard They enjoy performing … Read More
The Rig Weeps, a poem by Kate Campbell: Dark larches reach the cloud and starsAbove a white-grass marsh; the moorWhere shepherds tended sheep and stillsAnd old stones still guard ancient loreWhere frosty trails wind up the rigAnd Mossy Burn half-frozen flows. The night is quiet. The wind is tired.In the still air the owl laments.The old … Read More
Artist Fiona McLachlan-Powell has proposed to create sculptural installations inspired by the female agricultural workers from the past called bondagers, who worked in agriculture in East Lothian and Berwickshire. The installation will be of sculptural objects taken from the material culture of the bondagers. They were hired at a hiring fair by hinds who needed … Read More
Ettie Spencer has responded to the project with her proposal for an installation on the Whiteadder reservoir. Not many people know about the school and farm buildings now hidden at the bottom of the Whiteadder. This artwork will draw attention to the beauty of its surroundings as the floating, luminous, white, ghostly ‘houses’ catch the … Read More
This week, AOC’s community archaeologists have been working with Duns Primary School, taking pupils out into the landscape to explore their archaeology as well as bringing the past into the classroom. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will spend a day with each of the five P5-7 classes, totalling around 130 pupils. … Read More
A small group gathered at the Volunteer Arms in Dunbar on Friday 10th January 2020 to look at and discuss various place-names in the Whiteadder project area. It was a very successful workshop with great input from all. The items discussed will be posted as a page on this website, including a downloadable PDF containing … Read More
The Bunkle Edge Events This December we have been fortunate to have been joined by a leading archaeological expert, Mr Strat Halliday, to deliver some of our Whiteadder Events. Strat Halliday, formerly of the Royal Commission of the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), has a background in prehistory in the Borders and a … Read More
The ‘Herring Road’ is a route that went from Dunbar to Lauder and cut through the Whiteadder area near the reservoir. The route was used by people bringing a stock of salted herring home for the winter and also by fishwives carrying huge creels of herring from Dunbar to the markets in Lauder. The path has changed … Read More